


Social Cues

by sagittarianpocky



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - High School, Asshole Ex Boyfriend Warning, But The Idea Is Cool I Guess, F/M, Gen, I Don't Know What's Going On Either But I Like It, Romance, Simulation, This Is Just A Really Weird Fic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-14
Updated: 2020-09-14
Packaged: 2021-03-06 21:27:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 13,829
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26455621
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sagittarianpocky/pseuds/sagittarianpocky
Summary: After Seniors everywhere lost the most valuable year of their school experience, a deal was made.They could enter a simulation. People would be randomly sent to an anime world that suited their interests best, and they would enroll in one year in that world's "Hero School." Each world would be limited, of course. The simulation included a large city, and some nature around it. Nothing more. Gianna Rossi was thrown into the Pokémon world. While she knew all about the Hero School, battling, and the whole nine yards, she wasn't prepared to learn about what lurked at the edge of each of the city's districts.She wasn't prepared to come in direct contact with a villain.
Relationships: Saturn (Pokemon)/Original Character(s)
Comments: 1
Kudos: 1





	1. The Library, Two Weeks Earlier.

**Author's Note:**

> Hi!  
> I'm back again with another pic that I wrote to cope with being bored in quarantine. It's another fic that I want to come back to, but I'm not sure. If you're confused about the city itself during the story, just think about the way the Hunger Games arena is set up in Catching Fire. In like, quadrants. So, each region has its own district. It's kind of a weird idea, I know, I was just being curious and playing around with it. I didn't have much else to do.
> 
> That's all I have to say. This is another self indulgent fic, haha. Enjoy!

I’d bumped into him once.

It was the first time that I’d ever gone to the Sinnoh district. I’d done it out of pure boredom, really. My friend told me that their library had an extensive collection of well, everything, and that it’d be something new for me to see. It’d also be a change from the Unova district’s smoggy atmosphere. Plus, I wanted to see if I could learn anything more about one of my personal favorite Pokémon - Giratina. I thought it was such a dope Pokémon, but it was so hard to find information on it. It wasn’t surprising, but Sinnoh didn’t play about superstition and crap like that. If they thought something was evil or bad luck, they tried to stay as far away from it as possible. I didn’t really give a shit about any of that, though.

It was almost embarrassing to be there at first. Everyone was dressed so casually and they looked so normal. Some looked like they were just coming back from their nine-to-five job, some looked like college students that’d just rolled right out of bed. Same. The college kids were in the back with laptops and textbooks, and since it was eight o’clock on a Friday, some of them looked like they were on the brink of falling asleep. Again, _same_.

The woman at the desk threw me a look as soon as I walked in. I mean, I did just stroll in with a head of bright orange hair pulled into a high ponytail, black ripped jeans, a cropped turtleneck tank top, a leather jacket, and platform Doc Martens. Not to mention the dark makeup that put emphasis on my eyes. Or the ear piercings. Or the nose piercings.

So in short, there was a pretty big difference between me and the people wearing hoodies.

I had to ask the woman at the desk for directions. The library was huge and it had two floors. There was no damn way that I was going to find the right section on my own before the library closed. When I told her what I was looking for, it definitely raised some suspicion.

“Why are you looking?”

I gave her half a shrug. “I’m bored.”

I swore that this woman was looking at me like I was about to jump across the desk and rob her. “We have strangely dressed people coming in here for those books all the time.”

I tried my best not to glare at her. _Strangely dressed?_ Who in the hell did she think she was. “I don’t know anything about that. I’m just bored.”

She eventually pointed me in the right direction. Second floor, front right. It was so quiet on the first floor, and the second was even more eerie. I couldn’t see anyone up there, but I knew there was someone. My intuition never lied to me. This wasn’t someone normal, either. But where the hell were they?

I shook my head and moved along the overlook to the section I wanted to be in. I knew it wouldn’t be hard to find something worth my time, but there were so many books. Looking through them took forever, and basing the information on the title didn’t work. Nonfiction didn’t give you these dope ass titles you could gamble on.

Eventually, I found a book. I kept walking around a shelf as I looked through the table of contents, and _bang_ , there was a whole solid chapter on Giratina. I kept walking as I scanned over the basic information that I already knew. I rounded a shelf on autopilot, and I honestly wasn’t surprised when I literally walked into somebody.

It was always one of my worst fears. Like, if it was someone I knew, that was fine, but bumping into a complete stranger was so awkward. Plus, the contact literally made me drop the book. I froze and stammered out, “I am so sorry.”

Either they weren’t paying much attention either, or their reflexes hadn’t been fast enough to move out of my way. I didn’t want to look at them. I mean, judging by the cologne, I knew that they were a guy. That didn’t help anything. Plus, he had such a strong presence.

“It’s alright.”

Since his voice was actually calming, I mustered up enough courage to actually look at him. When I did, my blood ran completely cold. He was pushing six feet tall, and he looked just about as out of place as I did. He was dressed in all black - black shirt, black jean jacket, black belt, black jeans, black shoes. His jawline was sharp, he was skinny, and his eyes were this striking shade of electric blue. His hair was the same color, and it was fashioned like something I’d see in the Unova district. To a normal person, he would’ve looked punk or alternative or whatever. But to anyone who knew too much, he looked like something else entirely.

I would’ve been panicking if I wasn’t terrified that he’d know I knew _exactly_ who he was.

He actually squatted down to pick up the book, observing it as he stood up. When he handed it back to me, there was a slight smirk on his face. “I see we’re here for the same reason. I’d be more careful if I were you.”

That was all he said before he turned back to the shelf. Those damn eyes lingered on me for just a moment, and it was enough to fluster me. I panicked and did my best to walk away without making it look like I’d been scared shitless.

I found myself downstairs and on the complete opposite end of the library from him. I sat down in a chair and attempted to catch my breath. I wasn’t even sure if I had the ability to read at all. I could barely process what’d just happened.

Maybe I’d only been there for a few weeks, but the Hero School never told us that we had any real opposition. They hadn’t said a word about any of the teams. In fact, they’d acted like they were non-existent. They preached this one bullshit ideology - a hero’s ideology - and that’s all they ever told the entire student body. They never mentioned the bad things that we were supposed to “defend the world” from. I felt so _dumb_. They’d _blinded_ me. There was no denying it. I didn’t know if they were trying to prevent students from joining the teams, or if they were trying to keep us happy and ignorant. How stupid.

I shook my head and literally stuck my nose in the book, trying to forget about it. _Why? Why didn’t they just tell us?_

I scowled and kept reading. Giratina, the renegade Pokémon. It was locked away for its violence, yet protects this world as if it were good. A Pokémon that seems so horrific and terrifying, but has good intentions at heart. A Pokémon condemned because of a stupid assumption. A Pokémon that’s misunderstood. Living in a world that’s literally only an atom away.

A wave of goosebumps shot down my arm. I put the book down and looked around. It wasn’t cold or anything, and nobody was there. It didn’t ease my nerves at all. I looked out of the window into the dark, and my heart stopped.

There he was again. We made eye contact for only a second until he tossed his car keys in his hand and walked into the parking lot. My eyes lingered in the direction he walked, and I don’t even think I blinked.

I closed the book and looked down at the floor. I needed to get out of the Sinnoh district.

The person I’d quite literally bumped into was none other than Saturn, the Lieutenant Commander of Team Galactic.


	2. A Soulmate? Hell no.

“ _Gianna Rossi!_ How many times do I have to tell you to stay awake during my class!”

I opened my eyes and shook my head. I hadn’t even noticed that I was dozing off in the first place. It would’ve helped if Professor Rowan was a little more entertaining. I could’ve had Sycamore or Juniper, but no. I was stuck with this old serious guy that couldn’t take a joke to save his life.

It also didn’t help that Hero Studies was the last class of my day. “Okay, sorry.”

One of my friends, Adalyn, was eyeing me from across the room. She thought Rowan was boring, too. Every time I fell asleep, it made her laugh. She was a short, skinny girl with long, black hair and green eyes. She had this dark academia aesthetic and she always had her face stuffed in a book.

“Now, I’m sure you’re all aware, but there’s going to be a new student transferring in tomorrow.”

Whispers rang out from all around the room. I look at Adalyn, and she shook her head in reply. Of course, nobody knew about it.

Another student raised his hand and called out, "What’s their name?”

Rowan turned to look at him with the same, straight face. “An important thing about being a hero is being _patient_. You’ll find out tomorrow along with the rest of your classmates.”

Disappointed groans rang out this time, and the student that’d raised his hand slumped back into his seat. Rowan’s answer literally made me want to slam my head on the desk.

“Also,” the Professor continued, “keep in mind that the battling exhibition is taking place this Saturday. You haven’t been trained much in regards to battle, but that will change.”

I perked up. I’d been looking forward to the battling exhibition for so long. Champions and Elite Four members were going to come to the Battle Stadium at the back of the school’s property and show all of us how to really battle. Most of the kids had never even thought about battling. They just wanted to play around with their Pokémon and show them off. A few people, including me, had already been trying our hands at it and creating strategies. Against advisement, I’d also been forming my own kinds of bonds with the Pokémon team I’d selected. They wanted us to do everything _their_ way with _their_ rules. Patience wasn’t a word in my vocabulary.

I just _really_ wanted to see Cynthia battle.

A chair screeching on the floor brought me back to attention. We’d been dismissed. I quickly put everything back in my backpack, thinking about not just the exhibition, but the new student. They’d end up sitting in the only empty desk that was across the room and one away from the back corner.

I heard a few gentle footsteps, and turned to see Adalyn. “Hey.”

“Hey.” Her voice was quiet. She was so smart, but so shy at the same time. “Are you okay?”

She was usually so off in her own world and never picked up on people’s behavior. The question caught me off guard. I swung my backpack over my shoulder as I responded, “Yeah. Why?”

She walked by my side as we left the room. She was a few inches shorter than me, standing at about five-foot-two. “You’ve been really distracted. It’s like you’re thinking about something earth shattering.”

I blinked. “What?”

“You know when you think about big questions? Like, what’s out there in the universe or what’s living at the bottom of the ocean?” She shook her head. “Actually, no. It’s like you’ve seen something that you can’t get out of your mind. Like, when people see _ghosts_.”

Adalyn really had a mind of her own. I gave her a half-hearted laugh. “I don’t think I’ve seen any ghosts lately.”

She tilted her head. “I can see it in your eyes. Plus, you really don’t seem to like Rowan.”

I shrugged. “I don’t like him because it’s like learning from a robot. Why couldn’t we have been assigned to a cool Professor, y’know?”

We walked down the staircase, and I had to walk slower so she could keep up. “I guess you’re right. You’ve just been like this since you went to that library I told you about. It’s been worrying me.”

I almost tripped down the stairs. I’d been trying to push the memory of the library out of my mind entirely. I thought that it’d be best for my own safety if I pretended that it never happened. Adalyn, though, was a Pisces, making her a bit of a psychic if you believed in that stuff. So, of course she noticed.

It’d been two weeks since I ran right into Commander Saturn. Two weeks since I realized that the Hero School was feeding its students a bunch of bullshit. Two weeks since I realized that we were basically being forced to look through rose colored glasses.

“Gianna?”

The soft voice caught my attention. Adalyn looked visibly concerned, clutching a book by Edgar Allen Poe in her arms. “Huh?”

“You’re thinking about it again, aren’t you?”

I sighed. “Sorry. It’s nothing serious or anything. It’s just complicated.”

We headed toward the front doors to drive ourselves home. Adalyn suggested, “You can always talk to me if you need to.”

“I know.” I’d played with the idea of telling somebody, but I had a gut feeling that this school wouldn’t like it too much. I mean, I’d basically be outing them. They might’ve been staying silent in order to keep students from becoming discouraged or afraid. I’d also assumed that some of the headstrong students would’ve tried to singlehandedly take down the teams themselves just to prove a point. “I just met someone I wasn’t expecting to see.”

Her face lit up with recognition. I held the door open for her and felt the breeze hit my face. “Met someone? Who?”

“I don’t know how to explain. Someone strange.”

Adalyn had another Pisces habit, which was making _everything_ romantic. “Maybe you met your soulmate.”

I barked this short laugh. “Hell no.”

“Soulmate encounters are usually very strange.” Once she was on this topic, there was no stopping her. “If it’s still stuck in your mind, it might be true.”

I dug my keys out of my pocket. There was absolutely no way Adalyn was right. Everybody knew that Team Galactic’s whole brand was no emotion. “Trust me, there’s no way.”

“Did you get chills?”

I stopped. “Chills?”

“Yeah, like, goosebumps?”

“No.” I kept walking in the direction of my car. Adalyn was always researching soulmates, twin flames, and karmic relationships. She knew about my past, too. She was always on me about pushing people away. She wanted me to stop avoiding relationships.

Adalyn make this pouty face. “Oh. That’s too bad.”

When I reached my car, I threw my backpack in the back seat. “Nah, it’s fine. It’d be too much trouble.”

“I think a soulmate would be good for you.”

I looked back at her. She always stood like she was a doll. She was so delicate. “I don’t do all that stuff anymore.”

She shook her head. “You can’t keep letting what happened with Easton control you.”

The phrase hit me like a brick even though she made a point of it often. Adalyn was right, sure. Easton was my ex-boyfriend. He was mentally and emotionally abusive, and I left him as soon as it got physical, too. It happened over a year ago, but recovering from it was Hell. I hadn’t even seen him since then. I stopped trusting the majority of men, especially if they were super masculine. Like, if I saw a big, tall, bulky guy with huge muscles, I’d get an uneasy feeling in my stomach. Adalyn was actually the first person to notice how I had such a dislike for people in relationships and even called it gross. She was the first one who asked why instead of laughing at it. “I know. I’m working on it.”

“I hope so.” She looked down toward her own car. “You should head home and get some sleep. I feel like something big is coming. It’s in the air.”

I raised an eyebrow and looked around. “Yeah, you should get some sleep too.”

I watched her walk away, and then slid into the driver’s seat of my car. I sat there for a few minutes, playing with the ideas she’d had. It was awfully strange to bump into someone like Saturn. I mean, sure, he was a _person_ , but I assumed he was always busy with something. He was a higher up in Team Galactic. He should’ve been like, doing math or developing machines or crap like that. That’s what I learned from reading around on the internet, anyways. Plus, he didn’t get pissed about someone walking straight into him. I was sure that if someone in Team Galactic had done it, it would’ve been a completely different story. Maybe they’d get like, fired or something?

“Stop.” I said it aloud, putting the key in the ignition. “It’s just something weird.”

I backed out of the parking spot and drove home.


	3. Don't Call Me Orange.

It was lunch right before Rowan’s class the next day. I always thought that it was lame that they called it “Hero Studies.” What kind of twelve year old shit was that? It reminded me of this anime I’d watched before called _My Hero Academia_.

“You see the new guy, though?”

I eyed my friend Antonio. My friends and I had been complaining about our other classes. We had four classes per day and were on an A-day, B-day schedule. We had classes with the Professors each day.

Antonio, though, was one of the most social and peppy of the friend group. He had dark, curly hair with the ends dyed white and an undercut. He always wore what you’d consider “hype beast” clothes, but put a nineties twist on it. Most people assumed he was a complete asshole because of it, but he was one of the nicest people on the planet. He was also gay, but only came out to us because his parents weren’t around to accidentally hear about it.

“You mean the big dude with the blond hair?”

My other friend was named Devonte. We just called him “Vonte.” His hair was short, dark, curly, with a fade on the sides. He always wore skater clothes and lots of jewelry. He loved skating and he could turn just about everything into a joke. But, he could also flip on a dime. Like, he was always one to stand up for women and wouldn’t even bother to associate with misogynists. He had a track record for beating the shit out of them, actually.

“That guy with too much testosterone? I don’t like him.”

The third friend was named Ruthe. She was blonde, tall, and had money. She never flaunted it, though. Her parents adored her under the assumption that she was straight, but in fact, she was the complete opposite. She was always quiet, but when she spoke, she had an attitude that could probably make evil team bosses uneasy. She never took bullshit from anyone and spent a lot of time judging people.

“Fuck him. He can get the fuck outta here with his big ass.”

Ava. She was a “baddie” obsessed with the nineties and the two-thousands. She had long, dark, natural curly hair and was always dressed to kill. She was tall enough and strong enough to stand up to men, and she wasn’t afraid of anybody. She was also pretty vocal about the school not giving her anyone to date. Ava had a thing for bad boys. Plus, her and I shared a star sign - Sagittarius. She was extroverted, I was introverted. We were always on the same wavelength.

Of course Adalyn was with us, but she didn’t join in. She was deep into her book and hadn’t even touched her food.

“Who?”

“This big ass motherfucker,” Ava retorted. “I ain’t even bother to get his name. He’s walkin’ around like he owns the fuckin’ place and I don’t like it. He looked like he uses Axe.”

“Not _Axe_ ,” Ruthe muttered.

“Yes _Axe_ ,” Devonte answered. “Like, bro, he looked like a wife beater.”

“I thought he was attractive until he opened his mouth,” Antonio said, taking a drink of water, “then he said some shit and I was like, oh _Hell_ no.”

I wasn’t a fan of men like that, If I was back in the real world, I would’ve genuinely thought they were talking about Easton.

“Yo, bookworm, you should eat,” Devonte called out, grabbing Adalyn’s attention. “Lunch is over in a few.”

A flicker of recognition went across her face, and she marked the page in her book. “Right. Thanks.”

I checked my phone. One of my teachers put in a grade for math, and it dropped me from a ninety to and eighty-seven. Fuck.

When the bell rang, Ava came up to me. “You find any guys here yet?”

I threw away some trash. “You know how I feel about men.”

She leaned close and whispered, “You like them bad boys, sis. Don’t worry. You can tell me.”

I tried to fight off a blush. “No way.”

“C’mon, Gi.” That’s what Ava called me. Gi. “Bad guys are the sweetest, sometimes.”

I scowled. It really felt like everyone was trying to shove me into a relationship. “Relationships are so dumb.”

“You keep sayin’ that.” Before she parted ways with me, she winked and said, “See ya.”

As I walked up the stairs, I felt Adalyn’s presence behind me I turned to her and she said, “I don’t like the way they described the new kid.”

Again, anxiety crept up on me. “Same. Maybe Rowan will get him to shut up. He doesn’t play around with people.”

She nodded, and we both entered the classroom. We were some of the first, and Rowan was sitting at his computer. Adalyn sat in the front left corner, and I sat in the back right. I took out my binder and just stared at it. People were filing into the classroom, including the people that sat around me.

I rested my chin on my hand and looked through Instagram. My leg was bouncing. My heart was pounding. Something wasn’t right.

When the new kid strutted in, my heart dropped.

“Alright class,” Rowan called out, standing up, “I’d like for you all to meet your new classmate. His name is Easton Scott.”

Adalyn sent me this worried look, and Easton looked at me like he hadn’t expected me to be there. I wasn’t sure what to do. I mean, what _do_ you do in that situation? Of all the people that could’ve transferred in, why the Hell was it _him_?

“Afternoon.” He called it out as he essentially glared at me. He was so cocky.

As he walked to his seat, he maintained eye contact with me. I turned away to stare at the desk in front of me. I felt my phone vibrate - it was a text from Adalyn.

She asked if I was doing okay. I said no, and that I had no idea how Easton got there. She recommended going to the office and getting him switched to a different class. It was a good idea, but I wanted to wait and see if he’d bother me or not. If he left me alone, I could manage. It’d been over a year since I’d last associated with him. He might’ve found a different person to abuse and treat like shit, which, as fucked up as it was, took the heat off me.

For the rest of class, I just focused on Rowan. It was impossible to fall asleep. I was on guard to the point that the people around me noticed it. I was pissed off, honestly. Wasn’t an alleged Hero School supposed to protect people? Why would they let someone like _Easton_ in?

When class ended, I tried pack my stuff up as quickly as possible. When I stood to leave, I heard, “Yo, _orange_.”

My eye twitched. I didn’t even want to turn around. I didn’t want to hear his voice. If it wouldn’t have gotten me expelled, I would’ve thrown an entire desk at him. I looked over my shoulder and snapped, “Can I help you?”

Easton let out this laugh that he’d do to mock people, basically. “What are you doing here?”

“What are _you_ doing here?”

“Don’t get smart with me, Gianna.” I hated hearing my name come out of his mouth. Adalyn looked too scared to intervene. “Better pipe down before I knock some sense into you.”

“Hey.” Rowan’s loud voice caught the attention of both of us, along with the other students that stayed to watch. “Mr. Scott, I understand this is your first day, but you should know that I will not tolerate this kind of behavior in my classroom.”

“Right.” Easton found it funny. “My _apologies_ , Professor.”

I scowled and walked out of the classroom as fast as I could. I wanted to break something. I was good at controlling literally every single emotion I had except for anger. I was having such a good time there, minus the thought eating at the back of my mind. Easton decided to fucking ruin it.

Before I knew it, I was outside walking to my car. Easton was probably going to ruin the battle exhibition for me. A day I’d been looking forward to. Nobody except Adalyn knew my history with him, and there was nothing much that she could do to defend me. One punch from Easton could’ve seriously hurt her and I wasn’t having that.

Turning on some angry music, I drove myself away from that God forsaken building. Its was a nice place and they had good intentions, but that place was really testing me. I’d found other kids that felt the same way. If that place really gave a shit about building heroes, they wouldn’t have let an _abuser_ stroll through their front doors. Easton wasn’t a fucking _hero_.

Easton was a _villain_.


	4. I'm Stronger Than You, Right?

The sun was blinding. Since it was a nice day, I decided to just walk to the Hero School. I didn’t doubt that someone would’ve given me a ride home. People probably planned to go out and eat afterwards, anyways. Plus, walks were one Hell of a good way to clear my head.

I was wearing my usual “going out” outfit instead of the jeans and oversized shirts that I usually wore to school. It was basically the same outfit that I’d worn to that library. As I walked through the streets, I played with the idea that maybe, just maybe, Easton wasn’t coming. He didn’t have any friends yet as far as I could tell, and since he’d just transferred in, he didn’t deserve to come.

My jacket’s inner pockets carried a small wallet, my phone charger, a pair of AirPods, and a knife. The knife was a recent decision. I couldn’t risk it.

I’d gotten close to the school when it was about quarter to five. I got a text from Ava saying they’d saved seats close to the front. That helped my mood a little. I rounded the back of the school and waited in the line that’d formed in front of the Battle Stadium.

When I got to the front, Rowan was there checking IDs. It was strange, and it just added onto the idea that they weren’t being entirely truthful regarding our safety. Since champions were here, what was stopping the evil teams from pulling a stunt somewhere else? Or, what was stopping them from being bold and attacking the Battle Stadium itself? It’d be stupid, but it’d at least say something.

I shook my head. In the front lobby, they had vending machines galore. It was full of chattering people, and I didn’t bother. I just walked straight inside and looked for my friends.

“Yo! Gianna!”

My head snapped up to see Antonio waving at me. They’d gotten seats right at field level. It was amazing. I ran up to them and found myself between Adalyn and Ava. “How the Hell did you get these seats?”

Devonte pointed to Adalyn. “Bookworm came early and me and Ava came a little later.”

The group and I talked about whatever. They didn’t mention Easton at all. They didn’t know who he actually was, though. I didn’t hold it against them. My eyes wandered around the crowd looking for him. It wasn’t easy for him to blend in.

Adalyn tapped me. “I didn’t see Easton come in. I don’t think he’s here.”

“Good,” I remarked, leaning back in my seat.

Not too long after that, the exhibition began. Professor Oak was our principal, but you rarely ever saw him. All of the professors were there, actually. They were all sitting at this big, long table at the back of the Stadium.

Everyone hushed when he began to spoke.

“Good afternoon, students! It’s so wonderful to see all of your young, shining faces here today. Welcome to the battling exhibition! While it may be fun to watch people battle tonight, it’s important to remember that you’re also here to learn!

“In my old age, I’ve seen many trainers grow to become strong. The trainers you’re going to see tonight have grown to be the best of the best! Watch their strategies, watch how they act, and watch how they treat their Pokémon! Champions and the Elite Four aren’t just strong trainers, but excellent teachers as well!”

Oak rambled on for like, ten minutes. I’d heard that he had a habit of doing that, and I knew to avoid a conversation with him at all costs. Like, I made sure I didn’t really do much at school to avoid him even saying hello. It’d be like talking to your weird uncle that’s way too invested in your life.

When Oak finally let the first match begin, I was at the edge of my seat. I didn’t care about the commentary. I cared about seeing these people fight. I cared about being up close and personal to a _real_ battle.

The trainers brought out to kick off the night were none other than Lance and Iris. A Dragonite verses a Haxorus. Iris’ battling style leaned more toward impulse. She had so much energy and trusted any signs and signals that her Pokémon gave to her. It was fifty-fifty in terms of who was in control. She talked so much and it was easy to see how much she loved being an example for us. I mean, she wasn’t even that much older than me.

Lance was much more stoic and calculated when it came to battling. He called the shots and his Pokémon trusted his judgment entirely. His Pokémon knew that Lance gave the orders and that was that. He was at the top of the totem pole. His Dragonite battled very bravely and had the guts to stand up to any attack that came from its opponent.

It was between adult and child. Mature and youthful.

I literally screamed when Iris won.

In between matches, they played music. Music that we knew. Like, _The Box_ by Roddy Rich. It was like one giant party. In that moment, I forgot about everything. It was just me, the music, and my friends. It was just dancing and singing.

The next matches were between Phoebe and Chauntal and Lucian and Grimsley. It registered with me pretty damn fast that they were emphasizing how to battle in a type disadvantage. Like, dragon was weak to dragon, ghost was weak to ghost, and psychic was weak to dark. But, God, Grimsley was _hot_. But, I’d heard that he had a gambling issue and was a mess behind closed doors. I needed someone that actually had their shit _relatively_ together.

Another intermission. We’d been told that the next battle was between Cynthia and Diantha. Two heavy hitters that I loved deeply.

When they came out, I had no idea who to pay attention to. This battle wasn’t going to be based on type disadvantages or anything simple like that. This was going to be all about strength and skill. It was Garchomp versus Gardevior with no mega evolution allowed.

Gardevior was such a graceful, quiet Pokémon. I had a hunch that it communicated with Diantha through telepathy, which put Cynthia at a huge disadvantage. She couldn’t predict what it was going to do, which had her stuck on the defensive. That was, until Cynthia found openings. They were both intelligent and learned about each other quicker than I predicted. Not to mention, it was special attack versus physical attack.

Between the atmosphere of the Stadium and the battling itself, it felt like a fire ignited inside of me. Seeing two women be so strong was something I’d literally craved seeing. I’d been suffocated and damaged by and insecure son of a _bitch_ of a man. I _needed_ to see that battle. I needed to understand that women could do whatever the Hell they wanted to whenever the Hell they wanted to. I needed to see them go above and beyond. I needed to see them be powerful.

If they could do that, why couldn’t I?

Why couldn’t I be a woman that changed the world? Why couldn’t I be a woman that inspired other women? Why couldn’t I be just as powerful as Cynthia and Diantha?

A smile blossomed on my face. I could do all of that. I could do whatever I wanted to, as long as it made me feel _good_.

When the crowd cheered, I watched Diantha’s Gardevior faint. Cynthia won. The two walked to the center of the battlefield and shook hands, smiling at each other. Everything felt so clear. I wanted to exist in my own way. I wanted to step on anyone who tried to get in my fucking way.

Another intermission came when they exited the arena. I sat and talked with my friends through it, and right before Sydney and Bruno were up to battle, I noticed the undeniable dryness in my throat.

I stood up. “I think I’m gonna go get some water. I’ll be right back.”

“Don’t take too long, sis,” Ava responded.

I nodded and walked up some stairs to the main aisle, moving toward the lobby. Everyone was so engrossed in the two men showing off their skills. I didn’t really care. I could barely remember their type specialties or what Leagues they were part of, honestly.

The lobby was so quiet. There was like, nobody out there besides this girl talking on her phone. It was dark outside, too. I listened to the cheers echoing out from the main doorway while I approached a vending machine. I scanned it and tried to dig my wallet out of my jacket.

While I was pressing buttons to make sure the drinks weren’t sold out, I heard a voice behind me. “Yo, _Gianna_ , what’s up?”

My blood ran cold. It was Easton.

I didn’t even bother turning around. I put my wallet back in my jacket and moved a hand toward another inner pocket. “Leave me alone.”

“C’mon, we should talk for old time’s sake.”

I slipped the knife from the inner pocket to an outer pocket. I kept my hand clutched around it. I knew there’d be some kind of altercation. At least, he’d try. I turned around to face him. “No.”

The way Easton looked down at me like I wasn’t worth shit made me want to slit his throat. “You sure? I’m pretty sure I never got closure when you decided to dump me.”

I glared at him. “You don’t need any closure.”

“Damn. You know how much of a bitch you are?”

“You think I left you over nothing?”

He shrugged. “I didn’t do anything I wasn’t supposed to do. It was those people you hung out with. I told you they were bad for you. They put all those weird ideas in your head.”

“Don’t talk about my fucking friends like that,” I snapped. “I left you because you’re an abusive son of a bitch.”

“Abusive?” Easton laughed in my face. The laugh gradually got louder to the point that he sounded clinically insane. Then, he tensed back up. His facial expression twisted with anger. He lunged forward to throw a punch at me. I moved out of the way just in time, and he ended up punching the glass of the vending machine. It cracked. He hissed in pain and held his hand. “See? This is what you do to me. This is how you make people feel. Abuse? _Abuse_? You just want to see my fucking downfall, Gianna.”

My hands started to shake. “Shut up.”

“You shut up,” he yelled. He literally sounded crazy. He was pacing in front of me like a fucking animal. “I was the only person that was good for you! I kept you away from all those crazy motherfuckers that were telling you to be independent and that you were stronger than me!”

I cut him off. “I am stronger than you.”

“You? Stronger than me? You’re stupid.”

I was so tense. I repeated, “I’m stronger than you.”

His eyes filled with rage. “You wanna test that? You wanna see how badly I’ll fuck you up?”

I gripped the knife. My heart was in my throat. “Fuck you.”

“What?”

I yelled, “ _Get the fuck away from me!_ ”

“You stupid _bitch!_ ”

Easton literally grabbed for me. I dodged it by running to the side and changed directions so quickly that I almost fell over. I was running on autopilot for the entrance of the Stadium. He was close behind me, yelling a bunch of crude shit at me. One minute he was yelling about how horrible I was, another minute he was going on and on about how much he loved me. When I got outside, it was so dark and quiet that it terrified me. Easton could’ve killed me out there and nobody would’ve been able to see it happening. I was good at sprinting, but not long distance running. If I ran too long, I’d either pass out or throw up.

When I rounded the school, I skidded to a stop. There were two parking lots in front of me. One was the student lot and one was the teacher’s lot. I heard Easton approaching fast, so I took a gamble and ran into the teacher’s lot. It was much less full, but the street it lead to was much closer. Plus, Easton wasn’t the brightest. I assumed he’d be stupid enough think I ran to the student lot for my car.

I weaved in and out of the cars, doing my best to stay as hidden as possible. I hid behind one of them and watched Easton look around, and then bolt toward the student lot. I was praying that my hair would stay hidden. It was like a huge neon sign that could’ve attracted the guy that was now screaming my name and all sorts of slurs at the top of his lungs.

I tried to catch my breath and kept running toward the street.

Then, I tripped.

I fell hard. I was in the very back of the lot. I had no idea what I tripped on, but I was close to the street. Easton sounded much farther away, so part of me just wanted to stay on the ground. After about a minute of sitting next to the car, I noticed the humming sound coming from beside me.

The car I’d fallen next to was _running_.

As soon as I stood up to move away, the driver rolled their window down. If I wouldn’t have been hiding from my former abuser, I would’ve shrieked.

Staring at me through the open window was Saturn.


	5. Ramen, I Guess?

At first I just stared at him like a deer caught in headlights. What the hell was he doing there? Why the hell did he keep showing up in my life? Why the hell did I have to fall right next to his car?

He tilted his head slightly. “Running from someone?”

I scanned the area and jumped down to a squat when I heard Easton yell again. “Uh, yeah?”

His elbow was resting on the ledge inside of the car door. He was looking at his phone. He nonchalantly stated, “Get in the back of the car.”

I blinked at him. “What?”

“Do you want him to find you or not?”

“No,” I stammered, “but I don’t know you.”

He looked back at me. “You don’t?”

“I just,” I exhaled, unable to find words. There was way too much adrenaline running through my system and I had to keep my voice at a whisper. “I don’t know you like _that_.”

He sent me a playful smirk. “So?”

I heard Easton yell again. I knew he’d check that parking lot next. “I met you once in a library. You could like, kill me or something.”

He just chuckled. “Why? For running into me?”

“Yes?”

Saturn shook his head, obviously finding my honest to God fear entertaining. “Believe me, if I wanted you dead for whatever reason, it would’ve happened already. Now, do you want him to find you or not?”

I looked down. Easton’s voice was getting closer, and when he found me, I was positive that the guy was going to try to beat my brains in. Saturn eyed me expectantly. Was I _allowed_ to do this? Would anyone find out? Why was he even there? Why was he _helping_ me? Was the Hell was up with him?

When I heard Easton yell again, I could tell that he was really, really close by. Saturn glared in the direction of his voice. I heard his car doors unlock. That was all I needed.

I opened the car door and slid into the car.

As soon as the door shut, he locked his car again. Easton was searching the parking lot two rows up, obviously alerted to the sound of the car door. Saturn had his gaze fixed on him, and he looked pissed off. “So, who is he?”

I moved over to the passenger’s side of the back seat so I could at least see him. Part of me wanted to ask why he even gave a shit, but another part of me just wanted to play with the atmosphere. “He’s, um, an ex-boyfriend.”

Saturn was still watching Easton. “Oh? He’s quite the asshole, isn’t he?”

I crossed my arms. “Yeah. You could put it that way.”

I was watching Easton yell. He looked straight at the car and on instinct, I hid behind the front seat. Saturn almost laughed at it. “The windows are tinted, you know.”

I came back out from behind the seat, seeing that Easton was actually gone. I watched Saturn instead. He was still scrolling through his phone. After about a minute of watching and ignoring awkward silence, he said, “Do you have something you’d like to ask?”

“Why are you here?” I’d just blurted it out before I could think about it. He raised an eyebrow and looked back at me. I looked around and continued, “I mean, you just don’t go here. Plus, don’t you like, live in the Sinnoh district?” He was smirking at me. I stared back and asked, “What?”

“I know that you know who I am.”

I almost cringed. There was no way. “Huh?”

His smirk got wider. “People don’t usually look that _afraid_ when they run into a _complete_ stranger.”

I sighed. I wasn’t going to be able to fool this guy. “Okay, fine. I do. Are you gonna kill me now?”

He actually laughed. “Kill you? Because you know who I am?”

“Yeah?”

“Have you told anyone that you met me?”

I paused. “No. Why would I?”

“Exactly my point.” I just blinked at him. He locked his phone as he continued, “I’m not going to kill you. I don’t even know your name. I’m not _that_ horrible.”

I started playing with my phone in my hands. “It’s, uh, Gianna.”

“ _Gianna_ , hm?” I actually liked the way my name sounded when Saturn said it. “Well, Gianna, I have a question for you.”

I tensed back up again. It could’ve been anything. He hid me from my abuser, sure, but this guy was still part of Team Galactic. He might’ve wanted information or a way into the Stadium. He was probably there for the same reason that made them check IDs. “Okay?”

He turned back to look at me. “Would you mind going on a date with me?”

I literally dropped my fucking phone. “ _What_ _?_ ”

He smirked. “You heard me.”

All I could do was blink. “ _You_ want to go on a date with _me_?”

“Yes.”

“I literally walked into you at a library and I literally just fell beside your car after tripping over nothing.”

“So?”

All I could do was stare blankly and shift my eyes around. I thought about Easton and my dislike for anything having to do with relationships. “But, aren’t you guys, uh, trained to not have emotions or something like that?”

“In theory, yes.” He tossed his phone in his hand. “It doesn’t mean that some of us only act that way on the job.”

I just stared down at the floor and thought. I had no idea what to say.

“Listen. Obviously, I understand that you’ve had experiences that would influence your answer.” It made me perk up slightly. “I won’t kill you if you say no.”

I tilted my head slightly. I knew that if Adalyn was there, she would’ve been shoving me forward and telling me to go for it. Plus, did I really want Easton holding so much power over me? Easton never respected me, but a guy I’d met once offered to hide me from my abuser and asked me out, despite both of my interactions with him being embarrassing as fuck.

I needed to test his honesty. I swallowed and said, “You have to answer a question first.”

Saturn gave half a shrug. “Alright.”

I repeated my earlier question. “What are you doing here?”

“I was sent to keep an eye on this event. If another team were to be ambitious enough to pull some stunt, we’d have to make note of that.” He paused for a moment. “I also came because I knew you’d be here and I wanted to ask you on a date. Is that sufficient?”

I raised an eyebrow. “So basically, you’re spying?”

“Do you think I’m the only one?”

I looked to my right. I mean, he wasn’t wrong. Did I know how the Hell he found out where I went to school? No. He might’ve just seen me walking there. Maybe he’d been parked there already and been playing with the idea of asking me out for hours after he saw me. Either way, he hadn’t killed me for knowing who he was, and I’d stayed quiet about it. A smile crept onto my face and I picked up my phone.

I looked up at him. “You know what? Deal. I fucking hate this school, and plus, it’s Saturday. Let’s go.”

He actually smiled. He turned back around and said, “Get in the front.”

I opened the door and listened for any sign of Easton. It was completely silent. I slid out of the back and into the passenger’s seat. Saturn seemed much more relaxed than before, and he took no time to put the car in drive and pull out of the parking lot. “What kind of food do you like?”

“Food?” I hated that question. I always blanked. It was the last thing on my mind until that second, and I blurted out, “Ramen?”

He was about to turn onto the street. “You don’t mind going to the Sinnoh district, do you?”

I shook my head. “Not really. I thought it was pretty cool when I went before.”

“Good.” I eyed him. I swore that he never stopped smirking. There was always a ghost of one on his face. “I know a place that you’d like.”


	6. Telegraph Ave.

It took maybe ten minutes to get to the restaurant Saturn had in mind. It was in a part of the Sinnoh district that I wasn’t familiar with at all. He drove around the streets with enough ease to make me wonder if he lived around there.

Over the course of the drive, I’d started noticing different things about him. First off, he was wearing the same cologne he had on at the library. It wasn’t as strong, but it smelled good anyway. Second, he drove with one hand. Thirdly, his outfit was so casual. Like, a black hoodie and some black jeans. Maybe he wasn’t expecting me to actually say yes. Also, for a guy, his car was so clean and put together. Most guys usually had trash, water bottles, clothes, and other crap thrown around. But, no. His car even still had that new car smell.

He parked in a lot about a block away from the restaurant. Before he turned the car off, he asked, "Just how much do you know about me?"

I wasn't sure what to say. In all truth, in my reality, I knew _everything_ about him. Who he was, and who he would end up being. But I couldn't just _say_ that. "Uh, that you're the Lieutenant Commander of Team Galactic? And you do stuff with engineering and technology? And that you're like, lowkey a genius?"

Saturn shrugged and gave me this cocky smirk. "You really do your research, hm?"

I crossed my arms and looked down, trying not to blush. "Maybe."

With that, he turned the car off. Compared to the Unova district, the Sinnoh district was quiet for eight o'clock on a Saturday. Saturn was intimidating when he was standing up. I'd almost forgotten how tall he was when I'd first met him. I was only about as tall as his shoulder.

As I walked with him, I noticed that he put himself between the street and I. It was hard to keep up with him. "You walk so fast."

He raised an eyebrow and retorted, "That's because you're short."

I glared at him, which amused him. "Call me short again and I'll knock the shit out of you."

He chuckled at it. "I don't doubt you will."

We arrived at this real hole in the wall place. He actually opened the door for me, and it flustered me. God, a guy held a door open. The bar was below the ground. Really, I was just used to doing everything myself.

The decor inside was pretty cute. It was a little dark in terms of lighting, but there were plants everywhere. The tiles were red and the walls were this light orange color. The tables were wooden, and we were seated at a two person one by the front windows. I was essentially forced to look at him, which only made my emotional confusion worse. Sure, he was attractive. Anyone with a pair of fucking eyes could see that. But, if I found someone cute, I had an issue with _staring_ at them. It was weird.

"You seem nervous?"

He wasn't helping. I just stammered, "No, I'm just, uh, not used to this."

I let myself catch a glimpse of his eyes as he asked, "Really? How so?

I tried to act like I was reading the menu. I mean, I _was_ , but I didn't want to stare. But _he_ was staring at _me_. "Yeah, like, I don't know. I kind of didn't bother with going on dates for a long time. Couldn't deal with it."

Saturn leaned back. "What changed your mind, hm?"

I settled on just getting essentially a normal bowl of ramen. I was _way_ too confused to stomach something obscure. I put the menu down and said, "Because you're you."

He tilted his head. "Is that a compliment?"

I finally looked at him, and noticed how angular his face actually was. His skin was literally clear, minus a freckle on his left cheek. A smirk tugged at my lips. "Maybe."

A waiter came and took our order. I really just wanted some damn _water_ , considering I'd never gotten it after screaming at the battling exhibition. I'd started losing my voice, too. It was slight, but it was there. It just sounded pathetically scratchy.

It almost scared me when Saturn asked, "Now, tell me something about you."

I blinked at him. I hadn't noticed how tired I was. "Me?"

He shrugged. "You seem to know so much about me, so it's only fair."

The waiter came back and dropped off drinks as I responded, "I mean, I only know the _basics_."

He smirked. "Don't deflect."

I took a sip of water and God, did it feel nice. "Not deflecting. I just don't know _what_ you want to know."

"Well," he started, "it's not every day that you run into someone researching a Pokémon you're not even supposed to speak about."

My eyes widened a little. That hadn't occurred to me before. "What can I say? It's interesting."

"Interesting?"

I put my fingers on the table. "Like, look, if I put my hand here, the Distortion World is literally an atom away from my fingers, right? Same thing if I put my hand, uh," I looked around, and put them on the window, "here. It's just crazy to think that there's some big shadow dragon right there. Plus, what if this table, or this entire restaurant, was upside down there? Because gravity's all fucked up."

He looked amused. I quickly blurted out, "Sorry. I ramble about things. That's why I don't talk much."

He actually laughed again. "Rambling isn't a bad thing, you know."

I crossed my arms. "I mean, it used to annoy the people I was friends with."

"Then they're shallow and not worth your time."

My eyes flickered up to him. Again, I was thinking, who the fuck was this guy? And why was I sitting in this restaurant with him? And why was he actually really fucking nice, despite supposedly having the capability to _detonate_ an entire _lake?_ Why was he just as normal of a person as me?

My thoughts were interrupted by food. It looked so damn _good_. They had ramen places over in the Unova district, sure, but this was real. Traditional.

When I realized that he was opening chopsticks, I just said, "Shit."

He raised an eyebrow, but didn't say anything.

"You're, uh, not gonna get up and leave if I use a fork, right?"

He laughed. _Again_. "So, you can tell me _everything_ about a legendary Pokémon, but you don't have enough coordination to use chopsticks?"

"My intelligence is selective," I muttered.

"Oh? What else is it _selective_ about?"

I was hesitant to start eating, but only because eating in front of another person was awkward. It was fine if it was a group, but one on one made me feel very put on the spot. I was almost too hungry to give a shit though. "Math. Can't do it. But I can read a five hundred page book in a day if I try hard enough. I'm good at science until it involves math. Then, I'm out."

_God, this ramen was so good. It was like heaven._

"So, you're a literature person, hm?"

Once I'd actually eaten some of it, my mood was a lot better. "I mean, I guess. I like history, but that's obvious. I like science shit like space and meteorology. Art's cool."

That seemed to interest him. "Space?"

"Yeah. Sci-fi's my favorite genre." I hadn't registered the logo on his hoodie until then. It was a fucking Nintendo 64 hoodie. _Nerd_. "But anyways, you like video games, huh?"

The question caught him off guard. "Yes?"

"You seem like you play Halo."

Saturn seemed slightly surprised that I even knew what Halo _was_. "Sometimes. I play Call of Duty more frequently."

I smirked. "I bet you curse in the lobbies."

"Now why would I do that?"

"Why _wouldn't_ you?"

"Are you implying that bullying people is fun?"

I actually giggled. "Sometimes. It's a good stress reliever."

My laugh seemed to _really_ get his attention. Probably because I'd been so cold toward him the entire time. Knowing him, he'd probably already noted that food had a positive impact on my attitude.

"Since you _know_ so much," he challenged, "what games do _you_ play, hm?"

"I, uh, prefer vintage games. Like, I wouldn't say like really old, but like, games I played when I was a kid." I could tell Saturn found it funny. "When it comes to stuff like Halo and Call of Duty, it's more fun to just watch. Best one to watch is GTA."

"I had a feeling you enjoyed peaceful games."

I furrowed my eyebrows. "What's wrong with that?"

"Nothing. It's just interesting given your demeanor."

I shrugged. "Not my fault some of you have too much repressed anger."

There was another laugh. "You must play Animal Crossing."

I almost dropped the fork. "And what if I do?"

Saturn didn't hesitate to say, "Then, I'd say it's adorable."

The way my face heated up literally robbed me from any retort I had. Did he get _paid_ to fluster people, or was he not aware of how _good_ he was at it? All I could manage to mutter before returning to eating was, "Shut up. I play crap like Street Fighter too."

Before I knew it, it was nine-thirty and the restaurant was going to close. Ever since the video game conversation, it'd been much less awkward. I learned that he knew how to hack not just _games_ , but people as well. He clued me in that he was more than willing to fuck with Easton via hacking, but I dismissed it.

I noticed that he wasn't once to talk much about himself, too. He would always try to refocus the attention onto _me_. Yeah, he seemed arrogant and full of himself on the outside, but there was a lot more underneath. I wasn't sitting across the table from a cold, calculating villain. I was sitting across the table from a _geek_ that left a mission for his _job_ to eat fucking _ramen_ with me.

When the waiter dropped off the check, I was prepared to reach for it. Again, out of habit. I used to have to pay for my share, and I usually felt bad for not paying anyways. His reflexes were quick this time, grabbing it before I could move too far. He narrowed his eyes and tilted his head. "Don't tell me that man used to make you pay for dates."

I exhaled. "Yeah, but, I feel guilty if I don't at least contribute something."

He sighed. He didn't answer, and instead took out his wallet and a credit card. He was about to stand up and take it to the register.

"Wait, like, you're sure I don't have to pay anything?"

Saturn shook his head. "It's a _date_. _I'm_ supposed to pay for it. _You_ stay _here_."

I put my hands up, kind of faking defeat. When I was alone at the table, I checked my phone.

"Oh, _shit_."

I had almost fifty missed calls from everyone that I'd been sitting with. They'd been blowing my phone up with text messages as well. I'd completely forgotten that I basically just disappeared off the face of the Earth after going to the vending machine. I hadn't heard any of it going off because my phone was always on do not disturb.

Knowing them, they'd probably even went to my house.

I shook my head. I'd deal with it once I got home.

"Is something wrong?"

I almost jumped straight out of the chair. "No, nothing. My friends talk too much."

"I know how that feels." He tilted his head toward the door. "Let's go. We should get you home before it's _too_ late, hm?"

I sent him a soft smile. "Yeah."

With it being much later, I noticed he was a lot more vigilant toward his surroundings. Every person that moved got a _look_. It increased in the parking lot. Parking lots at night were _Hell_ on Earth for women.

Saturn actually opened the car door for me. Even though opening doors was such a small thing, it still _flustered_ me.

I didn't know how to feel about giving him my address at first, either. He'd need it, though. So, against what literally anyone would've advised at the damn Hero School, I put my address in his phone.

And before he backed out, this guy started playing Childish Gambino. It surprised me at first. Again, he only drove with one hand. And he drove so smoothly, too.

Not much was said. I was actually dozing off, with one arm resting on the car door. The entire evening had been too much for me. I knew that when I got home, I'd have to deal with explaining all of this to my friends. My night wasn't over. Not by a long shot.

I felt the car pull to a stop. I shook my head and opened my eyes, and I was looking at my neighborhood. To my right, my little townhouse. Despite how tired I was, I didn't want to get out of the car.

"How did we get here so fast?"

Saturn smirked. "You were asleep."

I held in a breath. Why didn't I want to leave the car? Why was I so confused? "I'm gonna like, see you again, right?"

His gaze actually got really soft at the statement. Either he didn't expect it, or wasn't used to hearing anything like that. "Of course."

"When?"

"Whenever possible." He smirked and added on, "As long as I can have your phone number."

I sighed and rolled my eyes. I put it in his phone without hesitation. After that, I gave him the ever so _awkward_ goodbye. He didn't drive away until I'd gotten inside of my door.

When I took a moment to breathe, I unlocked my phone.

Immediately, a call came in from Ava.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is so CUTE.
> 
> God, I want some ramen right now.


	7. Wait, There's More?

" _Gianna fuckin' Rossi!_ Do you know how many _damn_ times I have called your mother fuckin' phone?! Where the hell you at?!"

I didn't even have time to say hello. I just responded, "I'm at home."

"No the hell you not! We been there already! There wasn't no lights on or anything!"

"No, like, I just got home."

"What the fuck?! You okay? Did somethin' happen to you?"

I exhaled and locked my front door. I wasn't sure what to tell her, or how to explain anything that'd occurred in the past few hours. "I mean, I'm fine now."

"Gi, why you sound so tired? What's goin' on?"

I swallowed and sat down on the sofa in the living room. "I need to tell you something."

Ava paused. "Did somebody hurt you? 'Cause I'll knock some teeth out."

"I mean, somebody almost did." I sighed. "Do you know the new kid? Big, buff, blonde, super cocky?"

"The one walkin' around like he owns the place?"

"Yeah. His name's Easton Scott. He's my ex-boyfriend."

There was a pause. "Ex-boyfriend? Good lord, sis."

"Bad taste, I know." I looked down at the floor. "He used to abuse me."

" _What?!_ What the hell did he fuckin' do to you tonight?! I swear to God that I'll have his ass shot."

That's when I told her. I told her about the past. I told her about how he used to get entertainment out of making me feel awful about myself. I told her about how I was just an arm piece to him. I told her about how I left him when he tried to beat me up. I told her about how he cornered me at the vending machine and chased me out of the building. I told her about how I ran through the parking lot and hid behind the cars. At the end of the story, I simply told her I'd run far enough into the Unova district to lose him. I told her that I'd spent the last few hours at a diner alone. I told her that my phone ended up dying and that I'd left the charger at home.

"Gi, I'm gonna beat his ass on Monday."

"It's not worth your time."

"Yeah it fuckin' is!" She made this frustrated noise. "You like a sister to me and anybody who fucks with you is fuckin' with me, _period_! I won't let that fuckin' crazy white boy walk around our fuckin' school like he wants to be a hero. Bitches need to dump him with Team Plasma. He belongs with that _trash_."

I blinked. "What?"

"I said he belong with Team Plasma. Ain't no other fit for him. That's where all the fuckin _weirdos_ go. Weirdo men that wanna have power. They feed off that old dude. Fuck is his name? _Ghetsis?_ I don't know."

_What the hell was she talking about? Did she know about other teams being here? Had she seen them herself?_ I shook my head. "Team Plasma's not here, though."

"Oh yes they are. I seen those pirate lookin' motherfuckers wandering around. We don't talk to 'em, though."

I furrowed my eyebrows. "There's more teams?"

"Sis, we got all the teams here." She paused. "Wait, what you mean _more?_ "

"Uh, nothing," I stammered. "But, just leave Easton alone. He wants attention. Especially from women. If you don't give him it, he'll just explode on his own."

"We gon' do what's necessary to keep you safe." Ava's idea made me feel nice, but I didn't want her getting hurt. "Alright, you wanna know what?"

"Huh?"

"You gon' come to the Alola district tomorrow with me. We gonna hang out with Antonio and some of our friends over there."

I stood up and started walking upstairs. "Seriously?"

"Duh! We gon' have a beach day and have some fuckin' fun on the boardwalk. I was just plannin' to go myself, but I like you. You cool."

I sighed. "Okay, fine. When do I need to be ready?"

She thought for a second. "Twelve. It's warm over there. Wear somethin' for the weather."

I sighed. "I need to sleep."

"I know you do. That's why I'm gon' end the call. But you listen to me real good. Don't you ever go and disappear like that. I don't care what you doin'. I don't care if you out killing people or tryin' to end the fuckin' _world_. We just wanna make sure you good. It's what friends do."

I nodded. "Okay. I'm sorry. It was all really weird and I didn't know what to do."

"I know, Gi. Just remember that we care 'bout you."

Soon after that, she said goodbye. I was left with the silence of my house. I made sure the downstairs was locked up and the lights were turned off, and I went to take a shower. The shower was my place to think and calm down. Granted, it was hard to even form a thought because I was so tired. 

When I got out, I stared at myself in the mirror. I thought about how Ava knew about the teams. I was the only person. And if she knew about the teams, who were these "friends" in the Alola district? Why was she so lackadaisical about them existing?

I'd left my phone unlocked and heard it vibrate against the bathroom counter. I dried off my face and hands, seeing a message from a random number.

**Hey, it's Saturn. How are you?**

I smiled.

Maybe Ava had the right idea all along about bad guys.


	8. Tsundere.

I woke up to the sound of birds. Well, not _birds_. Flying type Pokémon. The window beside my bed had been cracked open all night.

I looked at the clock on the wall. It was a little after nine. I'd knocked out sometime after eleven the night before. The last thing I remembered was respond to Saturn, telling him that I was really tired, and saving his number in my phone.

I stayed in bed for thirty minutes, scrolling through social media. The sun was projecting lines of light onto the sheets and floor through the blinds. My room was white with hardwood floor. There was a television on the wall across the room from me. To my left was a dresser with a laptop and a lamp resting on it. A fan was on the ceiling that had another lamp in the center. There was a closer to my left as well, and the doors were mirrors. There were various posters about and shelves on the walls holding everything from plants to random trinkets. My bed itself was queen sized and had white sheets and tons of pillows.

I opened my messages. I didn't remember responding to the rest of my friends at all, but I did.

I opened an unread message from Saturn. I'd saved his contact name simply as the Saturn emoji. I didn't respond to his message saying that I needed to rest. I was nervous to text him, but I just shrugged and sent the first thing that came to mind.

**yeah, i fell asleep**

**but good morning though**

I locked my phone. Something about sending someone that made me smile. I slid out of bed and noticed how _cold_ the floor was. My usual sleeping attire was this old pair of Adidas shorts and some old oversized shirt. This week's was an old white D.A.R.E shirt I'd bought at a thrift store as a joke.

Yesterday felt like it never happened. It felt like some strange dream, almost. I was washing my face, trying to make sense of it all. One day, I was turning my nose up at anyone in a relationship. The next, I'm suddenly going out with a member of Team Galactic.

I started brushing my teeth and stared at myself in the mirror. Strange how the world works.

The downstairs was cozy. Living room with a black sofa, a bookshelf, and more plants. There was a bigger TV down there, with a cabinet on the floor beneath it. I had a Super Nintendo hooked up to it. The carpets and the walls were white. A window facing out front let light into the house.

Down a small hallway was a bathroom, then past that, was a kitchen. The kitchen was small enough to be manageable. In an open area past it, there was a dining room table. You could see the living room from it. There were sliding glass doors in the back that opened up to a small, elevated deck, but that was about it for the house. I liked it.

Like, it was the kind of messy that wasn't too messy. I never used the dining room table for eating. I would do schoolwork down there, and there were papers, binders, and books scattered around one of the chairs. They were untouched from the day prior. A sheet of math homework wasn't filled out.

I rolled my eyes. _Fuck_ _that_.

I made some oatmeal. It was a morning where the wind kind of had a chill, but not really. I stood out on the deck for a while, actually, watching the Pokémon fly about. It was completely clear. Not a cloud in the sky. I checked my phone again, only to find a text from Ava.

**You awake sis?**

I smiled.

**yeah**

It was after ten thirty, so I rinsed out the bowl I'd used and threw it on the counter. I'd run the dishwasher later. I made my way back upstairs, immediately digging through my closet for a bag. Ava was obviously planning to go to the beach, because who wouldn't? I'd heard about the Alola district's beach. I'd heard that it was literally paradise.

I found a purse big enough to fit essentials in. It was just a plain, black bag, but it'd do. It took a while to find a bathing suit to slip in just in case. I wasn't one for swimming. Something about the ocean really threw me off.

Next was the outfit. A black tank top and black distressed shorts. I slid a belt around my waist - the same one I usually wore. I dug out an old pair of black checkered vans and decided to save my boots from getting sand stuck in them. It was a plain outfit for me.

I found a pair of sunglasses and put them on top of my head. _Good enough_.

I didn't really bother with the makeup. I did my eyebrows and put on some mascara. I'd just finished my eyes when my phone buzzed. It was a text from Saturn.

**Good morning. What are you doing right now?**

The question was odd.

**getting ready to go to the beach**

**why?**

I waited.

**When are you leaving?**

I looked at the clock. It was barely eleven.

**in an hour**

He was typing.

**Can I call you?**

The question spiked my anxiety. I hated that question.

**yeah sure**

I waited. My heart was beating so fast. Did I do something wrong? Was he rethinking his own decisions?

The phone rang. I picked it up and said, "Hey."

"Hey." His voice had that tone people have when they'd just woken up.

I was scared, to say the least. "So, like, uh, what's up?"

"Nothing. I just wanted to talk to you."

"That's it? Like, I didn't do anything wrong?"

He chuckled. "You think a little too much, you know."

Hearing his voice through a phone was different; different in a good way. "Sorry. People don't usually call me unless it's something like, serious. They just text."

"That's a shame. There's so much value in actually being able to hear someone's voice. Like, yours."

I dropped the makeup brush I'd been holding and blushed. "Shut up."

" _Tsundere_."

My jaw dropped. "Excuse me?"

Saturn laughed on the other end of the line. "I'm joking with you."

I scowled and started getting my bag together. "I sure as hell _hope_ so."

We talked until quarter of eleven. It was true that I wasn't used to speaking to people on the phone. I'd had a few FaceTime calls since this whole thing started, but that was about it. They were usually a group FaceTime too. Once Ava texted me that she was on her way, I told him.

"Be careful and have fun. It's hot over there."

I huffed. I hated sweating. "Yeah, I know."

"Also," he paused, "if you run into Team Skull, they aren't half as bad as they seem."

I blinked. "Huh?"

"They're actually rather entertaining."

" _You_ know Team Skull?"

"Yes?"

I slid my purse onto my arm. "How?"

He chuckled. "Haven't you realized by now that I have a different life outside of my work?"

I smiled. A genius getting along with a much of misfit thugs in the district with the highest temperature, when Sinnoh was the coldest? Was he friends with their leader, too? "Right. I guess so."

Saturn told me that he'd talk to me later on today and said goodbye. Easton would usually texting me over and over whenever I went out, but I had the feeling that Saturn was going to let me be. Was this what the _normal_ form of a "relationship" or whatever felt like? I shook my head. _Relationship_. Weird.

I turned everything off and waited downstairs for Ava to pull up. It was still mind boggling that Saturn had become friends with Team Skull. They'd have practically no use for each other in regards to their mission or whatever the hell they called it. I shrugged. They must've just been friends, somehow.

That's when I saw Ava's silver Toyota Camry outside. I quickly put my phone in my bag and left the house, locking it up. I ran to her car as quickly as I could.

When I opened the door, she yelled, "Hey sis!"

I sent her a grin as I sat down. "Hey!"

She stared at me for a second. "What you all smiley about?"

"Huh?"

She looked me up and down. "You in a good mood."

I blinked. "I'm uh, going to the beach?"

She smirked. "If you say so. You got that lil' smile people get when they get a new boyfriend."

I was almost scared by the comment, but she laughed it off and continued, "Let's get movin'. Antonio's waitin'."

With that, she turned on her music and rather quickly pulled off.


	9. ... Team Skull?

Ava was always such a fun soul. She adored listening to music from the early 2000s. Everything from our childhoods. She was wearing light wash denim shorts and a baby pink bikini top. Her nails were the same color, and makeup was always perfect. It looked like she'd dressed up for a date, almost. Like she was expecting to see someone.

We were the opposites of the same sign. She was very fire and earth dominated when it came to her entire chart, and I was more dominated with water and air. Ava always managed to bring out a more fun side to me that was hard to find. That's how I ended up singing along to the songs for the entire drive, and when we got to the Alola district, I was literally leaning out the window and looking at how gorgeous it was.

The air smelled like saltwater and fresh plants. There was no smog. No exhaust. The buildings were so brightly colored and there were food markets everywhere. Palm trees and hibiscus bushes lined the streets. Different kinds of flying type Pokémon flew about, and all sorts of small Pokémon ran around on the sidewalks. It was hot, sure, but it wasn't humid or anything. It was all so perfect.

All the way in the back, though, was the boardwalk. Beyond that, the beach. Ava found a parking lot and managed to actually find a spot extremely close. I literally jumped out of the car. I was so excited. "Ava! This is so gorgeous."

She locked the car. "Literally. Sometimes I hate Antonio cause he gets to live here. Shit's a dream."

I put my sunglasses and started walking toward the boardwalk. Ava was texting someone. After a minute, she said, "We gotta meet Antonio at a restaurant. You cool with that?"

I nodded. "I mean, sure."

The boardwalk was so fun. There were people of all ages around, and so many people had their Pokémon out. There were games galore. What had my eye the most, though, was the beach.

It was lined with palm trees. The sand was bright white, and the water was a beautiful shade of aqua. People were already out there surfing or just messing around. Some people were playing volleyball. Some were tanning.

Ava and I walked and talked for a long way. I'd noticed that the farther we went, the more run down the houses behind the boardwalk got. It moved from island paradise to like something I'd see in the Unova district.

Slowly, we approached this pizza parlor. It was actually kind of busy, and it smelled so good.

Ava stopped. "You can keep secrets sis, right?"

I blinked at her. Given just how _much_ I was hiding, I said, "Yeah. Why?"

She clasped her hands together. "So. I got a boyfriend."

I looked at her. "Is that why you stay away from all the guys at school?"

"Duh." She looked over at the pizza parlor. "You know what I be telling you about bad boys?"

I thought about Saturn. "That some of them are actually really, um, good?"

She nodded. "Yeah. I'm datin' a bad boy. Have been for a few weeks now. He seems real mean and shit, but he's fine as hell and knows how to treat a woman good. He's in that parlor right now with his lil' friends. I just gotta know that you ain't gonna tell the school 'bout it once you know."

I blinked at her in disbelief. "Tell the school? I hate the school. And if you're happy, so what?"

She smiled. "I thought you had a real issue with that place. Just like me. C'mon."

We approached it. It was retro and had 90s rap music playing in it. There was an inside area, and an outside deck. On the deck, I caught sight of Antonio. He waved and yelled, "Yo! C'mon!"

Ava took me right onto the deck. She didn't ask to be seated or anything like that. I was wondering, did this guy Ava was dating own the parlor? Or was he something more?

Her and I sat down across from one another, and Antonio stood up. "Imma go find him. He's in the back somewhere."

The _he_ in question must've been Ava's boyfriend. Antonio disappeared into the restaurant. This part of the deck was secluded, like it was a private table almost. Maybe for parties.

Ava was checking her phone. "You sure you ready? It ain't just him that you gonna meet."

I raised an eyebrow. "There's more people?"

"Oh yeah. He got followers. They work this place, and they run this lil' area back here."

I furrowed my eyebrows, and then it hit me. In my head, I heard Saturn's voice from the phone conversation earlier.

_"Also, if you run into Team Skull, they aren't half as bad as they seem._ _They're_ _actually rather_ _entertaining_ _."_

That was when I heard Antonio walk back out, and an unfamiliar voice say, "Wassup, baby? Back so soon?"

Ava smiled and stood up. The voice I'd heard was gruff, deep, and loud. When I turned, I couldn't believe what I was seeing. It was Guzma. Like, the _big bad_ Guzma. Tan skin, dyed white hair with black roots growing in, baggy black pants, a white shirt, and white air forces. He was covered in gold jewelry and had numerous tattoos and scars all about his arms. He was taller than Saturn without a doubt and he was extremely muscular.

Ava walked right up to him and kissed him dead on the lips. She pulled back and said, "Sorry, babe. Just can't seem to stay away from you."

I almost gagged. It was cute, sure, but God was it _cheesy_.

There was a woman that came out from behind Guzma, and I recognized her immediately as Plumeria. She was much skinnier and wasn't in "uniform" then, only wearing a black sports bra and black shorts. Her hair was in the yellow and pink pigtails, and she had tattoos as well. Her eyeliner was _flawless_.

But, seeing Ava and Guzma together told me one thing.

I wasn't the only person breaking the rules.


End file.
